“But what is that?”
Among the things Hongryeon brought, there was a bundle. When I pointed at it, she smiled so brightly that it almost made me think her earlier enthusiasm was a lie.
“Ah, this. It’s nothing special. A gift.”
I opened the bundle and found a set of clothes inside.
It was quite a good jacket.
It seemed sturdy, possibly made from the fabric I gave her, and while it didn’t have any special decorations, it looked pretty good thanks to the use of different materials.
I knew she had some skills, but I didn’t think she could make it this well.
“You must have had a hard time making it?”
“Heh. This is nothing. The kids had it tougher.”
“Hmm?”
“I made this dress by myself, but the kids helped me with the other things I needed to do. They’re good kids.”
Hongryeon sent a warm gaze towards Sayoon, the exact opposite of the look she had towards Chaejin earlier.
Was it because of that gaze? Sayoon shrank her shoulders in embarrassment.
“Well, it’s also a gift for the Innkeeper. And I’ve studied a lot too. I wanted to try making clothes as well.”
“Oh really?”
“Yes! I want to make training clothes for my younger sisters when they come in later. And… for the Innkeeper too. Heh, heh-heh.”
That last word she swallowed was probably ‘Mister’? I smiled warmly and nodded.
“Make sure to learn a lot.”
“Yes!”
“Oh, and you must be hungry.”
I pulled out the steamed buns I made earlier. Since Yohwan came to the inn, I entrusted the morning meal to her.
After trying the steamed buns I made, she said they were not bad but needed a little improvement, so she added a few methods to enhance them, and thanks to that, they became even tastier.
“These are delicious.”
“Didn’t you hear? The elderly Yohwan, who used to work in the royal palace, is now working at my inn.”
“How did you hire a royal palace chef?”
I sat on the cart and flicked the reins. The horse began to move accordingly.
How did I hire her, you ask?
“My storytelling skills may not be that great, but it might still be entertaining. So let me share some of the tales from Cheongho.”
Listening to the sound of her munching on the steamed buns, I began to recount what happened in Cheongho.
Since we were going to be on the move all day today, I hoped it would serve as good conversation.
The pace of our travel wasn’t particularly fast. We had set off with a fair amount of leisure, and this trip was for Sayoon anyway.
It would be nice for her to enjoy the scenery by the street, and stopping at a suitable place to rest would also be good.
“Let’s take a short break here.”
There was a camping spot near the creek. Perhaps other travelers had set it up? There were piles of stones and signs of a fire left behind.
As I brought the horse to a stop, Hongryeon, who was riding in the cart, grabbed my shoulder.
“Are you not tired?”
“This is fine.”
“Hmm, I’m sorry about that.”
You really don’t have to. I shook my head, trying to downplay it, and Hongryeon smiled wryly.
“Then I’ll make lunch for you.”
“I’ve already brought it. Just warm it up a bit.”
I asked Yohwan for help. I pointed to one of the bags, and Hongryeon chuckled after inspecting it.
Inside the bamboo basket were well-made rice balls and stir-fried meat in a steamer.
“You really came prepared.”
“Well, since we’re going, it’s better to be well-prepared, right? And I told you, I’ll cover the travel expenses.”
It’s just a job for me, but it feels like a first outing for Sayoon.
So, I need to make sure she has as much fun as possible.
Of course, there’s a chance we might run into an evil monster, but hey, what can you do?
We’ll just have to think of it as a practical training session.
“Okay, first we need to heat up the food… Let’s eat the rice balls first. Sayoon, come join us.”
“Ah! Okay!”
I lit a fire and put the pot on. I went to the stream to fetch some water and placed the steamer on. It won’t take long to warm it up.
“I’ll enjoy this!”
After I took a bite of the seasoned radish salad, Sayoon took a big bite of the rice ball with both hands. Then…
“Wow! Wow! Th-this… this is…”
She was at a loss for words, clearly flustered. It’s just a rice ball, what’s the big deal?
“…This is amazing. It’s not just rice, right?”
“Huh?”
I popped a rice ball in my mouth too. The flavor was splendid; I have no idea what they did to it.
“Is this the skill of the royal palace chef? Can I go learn from them later?”
“I don’t mind, but… do you have the time?”
“Hehe. I should learn it to feed the kids.”
Hongryeon looked at the rice ball in wonder.
As we finished off a couple of rice balls, the stir-fried meat warmed up, and not just me, but Hongryeon and Sayoon ended the meal happily, marveling at the taste.
“We’ll do the dishes.”
After the meal, I planned to do the dishes, but Hongryeon and Sayoon insisted otherwise.
In the end, I got pushed aside, and while they did the dishes, I brewed some tea.
“I’ll enjoy this.”
“Thank you!”
It’s a bit warm but the weather is nice. Not a cloud in the sky, just a blue expanse.
Perfect for sitting on a warm rock and sipping tea — truly a beautiful and peaceful day.
Birds were chirping and flowers were blooming.
On a day like this…
-KEEEAAAAK!!
“…Those monsters should be burning in hell.”
What a timing!
I spotted an evil monster flying from the other side.
It had sharp teeth on a human face, and just its head was floating around. It was a Biduman.
If only a skull-shaped goblet showed up, it would at least be funny.
Anyway, three of them.
Seeing them fly madly at us with saw-like teeth bared, I let out a sigh.
I thought it was a nice day.
“Sayoon.”
Hongryeon couldn’t have missed what I noticed. She spoke calmly, and Sayoon set her teacup down with a sunny smile.
“I’ll handle it, so don’t worry too much.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course! I will.”
“Me too.”
– Sssrrr.
“She’s a martial artist from Hongseong.”
The sword, which had been sleeping in its sheath, revealed itself.
A longsword. A reward obtained from a hidden place discovered in the underground caves of Hongseong.
As the user grows and the sword’s proficiency increases, it emits light, affectionately known as the ‘Pretty Sword.’
The sight of Sayoon wielding it was not that of the innocent child I had met here.
“I’m going.”
She was a properly respectable swordswoman.
The Biduman itself wasn’t really a strong evil monster.
It could fly freely in the sky, but its attacks were basically just a charge and bite.
Even in Heavenly Bright Moon, it was an easy monster to deal with, so it didn’t seem difficult for Sayoon to handle a Biduman.
– Swish!!
As a Biduman dove down to hit Sayoon, her body mysteriously shifted.
She dodged by gliding along the ground and, in the same motion, swung her sword. At the same moment, the Biduman’s wing-like ear was severed and fell to the ground while Sayoon extended her foot towards it.
With a splat, the severely injured Biduman rolled on the ground, allowing the other two Bidumans to charge at her.
“Don’t worry. Sayoon is incredibly talented.”
I guess so.
Even in Heavenly Bright Moon, she had learned the latter part of the Hongseong Divine Art all on her own without any teaching.
Moreover, according to a letter Sayoon sent, she had already started making the sword glow.
Accumulating proficiency with a flashy sword isn’t easy.
It requires truly blood-curdling effort.
It hasn’t been long since she got that sword.
Unlike other disciples of Moonjeong, she isn’t just training martial arts.
She also helps maintain Hongseong and supports other Senior Sisters.
And still, she emitted light from the sword?
It showed how hard and focused she had trained.
“Sometimes at night, I see Sayoon practicing alone. When I asked her why she’s so dedicated, she said she feels like she owes a lot to the people she knows.”
Watching her little sister proudly, Hongryeon looked at Sayoon fondly.
“She said to repay that, she has to improve at martial arts.”
“That’s not wrong.”
“Yeah, but that’s a bit unfortunate.”
Hongryeon spoke bitterly as she looked at me.
“Thanks to you, Sayoon found other joys, but… it still seems lacking.”
“Well, she seems to have a lot on her mind right now, so maybe she’ll be fine once she sorts it out?”
“Really? Sigh.”
She let out a small sigh and took a sip of tea. She was just about to take down the second Biduman and had her leg stretched out towards the third one.
It would end soon.
Returning without too much trouble, Sayoon didn’t seem tired at all.
She was strong.
Stronger than I had thought.
“Good job.”
“No! This is nothing at all!”
“Still, the real thing can’t have been easy.”
“Hehe. Compared to sparring with Master, this is truly nothing!”
No, you shouldn’t compare it to the Sword Saint.
Even if it was an event scene, a Doje of the same caliber made one of the Sahyung flee on their own…
A Doje named Geup made one of the Sahyung monsters flee all by himself…
Anyway, without any major issues, we dealt with the evil monster, and we got back on the cart.
As we continued moving, we took short breaks repeatedly until around sunset.
At the edge of the street, we could see a tall mountain that looked quite scenic.
That must be Changwunsan.
It was the place where the Eight Immortals were worshipped at Changwunguan.
“Is that Palseon Village over there?”
“Indeed.”
As Hongryeon said, at the foot of Changwunsan, there was a village formed. It was a large village by a river, named after the Eight Immortals as Palseon Village.
People were gathering there for the Changwunguan defense against the Hyuja repeat event in Heavenly Bright Moon. Seeing the village mentioned in the gallery made me smile wryly.
I had visited this place a lot in the past.
Imagining those times, I looked at the bustling village.
Since it was renowned and regularly visited by martial artists and merchants, the village had definitely developed a lot.
Proving this, even though darkness was descending, Palseon Village sparkled like it was midday.
“Where do you think we should stay?”
“Well, I’m thinking of going to the Cheo Inn. I heard it’s quiet and the food is good.”
“Oh~. Where did you hear that?”
“I heard it when I went to Yangwisung before. Now, let’s go.”
How long did we travel with the cart? It was just the right-sized inn that the cart stopped in front of, and Jeomsoi came out.
“Hello! How many of you are there?”
“Three. Please give us two rooms.”
“Yes!!”
After leaving the horses and cart, we got down with our luggage. When we entered the inn, there were a few martial artists sitting around, but they merely glanced at us with indifference.
Since this was a place frequently visited by martial artists and a famous spot, it probably wasn’t surprising to see them.
After securing the rooms, I sat at the table and asked the two.
“Is there anything you want to eat?”
“Cold noodles?”
“I want that too.”
“As you know, Palseon Village is a famous spot where martial artists from all over the continent visit. Therefore, it’s also a place where various goods from different regions gather. They’re also hoping to showcase their regional products to sell them.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that.”
“That’s why the night market has plenty of amazing items, a lot of food, and many things to see. Let’s grab a quick bite and then head there to munch on snacks while we explore.”
At my suggestion, Hongryeon looked at Sayoon.
Was it because she could see goods from all over the continent at the night market?
Her eyes sparkled, and she shivered slightly.
“Um. But, Innkeeper… we’ve been leading the cart all day…”
“That’s nothing. I told you before, right? Don’t overthink it. Your only decision right now is whether to go or not.”
Sayoon squeezed her eyes shut. After a moment of hesitation, she cautiously said with a slightly flushed face,
“I want to go…”
“Great! Are you coming along?”
Hongryeon grinned as if it was obvious.
“I’m always welcome!”
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